Pu Dong

Shanghai is divided into two parts: Puxi and Pu dong. Pu xi, the old part of Shanghai, is anything west of the Huangpu river and Pudong, the newer part, is anything east of it. I live in the Xuhui district, which is in the South west part of Pu xi. All the shopping, eating and fun can all be done in Pu xi. Some people find Pu Dong boring but I honestly think the pace over there is a little nicer. Everything is newer and there is certainly not as many people crowing the streets. The financial district is nothing to write home about but Century park is beautiful and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is a nice way to fill up an afternoon. However the biggest attraction for Pu dong is the Oriental Pearl Tower. Build in 1996 it rises about 1,535 and give you a nice view of downtown Shanghai. For only 100 yuan you can take an elevator to the top.



















I still amazes me how far Shanghai and China has progress according to Western standards. One fun fact that a lot of the Shanghaiese like to throw out is that the majority of the buildings and edifices are less than 20 years old. Shanghai's subway system is only 4 years old and it is more efficient and runs more lines than the Chicago L. It frightens me to think what Shanghai and China will look like in the future because if it only took Shanghai 20 years to reach this point what will it look like in another 20 years.

Beijing

I've finally have enough time to actually update everyone on my last trip. Beijing was worth the three days I spent there but any more time and I would have ended up annoyed with the place. Since it was my first time there I had to go to the standard tourist sights: Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. My buddy and I wanted to check out Mao but his mausoleum was closed for the weekend. Rumor has it that Mao’s body is not looking as fresh as it use to. Surprisingly all three places were not that exciting. Tiananmen is just a huge square with a lot of foreigners and peddlers, the Forbidden City has even more foreigners and peddlers, and the Great Wall is completely comprised of foreigners and peddlers. I’m glad I went to these places; it really is a must if you have never been, but I cannot see myself going back to these places anytime soon.































One difference I notice between Shanghai and Beijing is that the air pollution is actually worse in Beijing then it is in Shanghai. I don't know how this is because after a day of walking outside in Shanghai I feel like I've smoked a pack of cigarettes, however in Beijing it feels like a thick layer of death is constantly covering every part of your skin. Visibility poor at best and I don't think is going to get any better before the Olympic Games. Some people are even speculating that Beijing might lose the games if enough events are canceled and if they are it could spell disaster and humiliation for China.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/6934955.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7061253.stm

Another problem was the traffic. I’ve been stuck on the 94/Dan Ryan in Chicago during rush hour but nothing compares to the traffic congestion that is Beijing. We were coming back from the Great Wall at 3 in the afternoon and there was bumper to bumper traffic for mile. It took us 2 hours to get into the center of town. I don’t thing there’s anyway I’ll attempt to go the Olympic Games; I’d rather enjoy them from the luxury of my apartment.

Beyond the smog and the traffic I had a good time in Beijing. The food was amazing, the people were mostly friendly and it’s cheaper than in Shanghai. I really enjoyed going to all the places the locals went to instead of being trapped in some tourist joint. If you’re ever in Beijing just get on the Metro line 5 and get off at Huixinxiqiao, amazing food and night life with very few foreigners. My friend, on the other hand, kept on getting ripped off by the peddlers. At one point he ended up paying 120 yuan, $15, for a pair of AA batteries. I guess that’s what happens when you look like a stereotypical American, you end up being an ATM to these people.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dankhuon/Beijing

My mornings

Each morning I get woken up to the wonderful sounds of a Chinese man's voice shouting fitness instructions out to the local Chinese students, none of which are my students, at 6:30 in the morning. I have nothing against daily fitness, in fact I think America needs to institutionalize mandatory exercise because we're becoming one amazingly fat country, but if you're going to wake me up at the crack of dawn to do workouts i beg that you actually do something challenging. I stayed up once to see the kind of things these kids do and for the pictures its not much. From the little bits and pieces i can translate from the "Drill Sargent's" instructions the school is basically having the students raise their hands up and down. I don't want to sound judgmental but I think these are the same exercise used to teach kindergarten students how to raise their hands in class. Now IF i was in charge of national fitness in China these kids would be in ridiculous shape. I'd hire Barry Bonds as my nutrition expert, require Puma track suits as their official uniforms, and have Kanye's work out plan on constant repeat. Hmmmmmm I might be on to something here. . .